The Summer Queen by Joan D. VingeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the sequel to her epic The Snow Queen, Joan D. Vinge creates a whole slew of worlds and characters that stand out among the worlds created by mediocre SF writers. The Summer Queen, Moon Dawntreader, forces her world to rebuild after the offworlders leave through the black gates after the last Festival. She convenes a sibyl college to help the Tiamatans recreate the technology that has been taken from them. She is met with anger, frustration, rebellion, and also enthusiasm and eagerness to become self-sufficient.
Along the way she discovers that the mers, the creatures the offworlders exploit for the life-prolonging water of life, are actually sentient creatures. At first she doesn't realize the import of this beyond the fact that the hunts for the water of life must be stopped. Eventually she comes to realize how vital they are to the survival of the Sibyl Net and sibyls on worlds everywhere.
